Plastic surgeon helps area veteran through Faces of Honor program

The Veterans Day holiday in November is the time when most people honor their fellow citizens who have served in the military.

But the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) seeks to help veterans year-round with their Faces of Honor Program.

Started in 2009, Faces of Honor offers pro bono medical and surgical help to veterans who have suffered injuries to the face, head or neck while in the service.

Dr. Daniel Rousso, of the Rousso Facial Plastic Surgery Clinic in Mountain Brook, took part in Faces of Honor in May when he performed a surgery for local veteran Don Austin.

Austin’s nose was injured in 1991 during Desert Storm in Kuwait, and he needed a revision of his septorhinoplasty surgery in order to breathe properly. Rousso performed the surgery at his clinic free of charge, and many of the staff at his clinic also donated their time.

The doctors who did Austin’s prior surgery used cartilage to rebuild his nose, but they used a lot of that material, which had caused some problems for the patient.

“He really couldn’t breathe, and his nose was enlarged,” Rousso said.

In addition, the cartilage the surgeons used had warped over time, and Austin’s nose was bent to the side.

The surgery had to be completely redone, according to Rousso.

“We took out a lot of the old cartilage they had put in,” he said. “He looked a lot better, and he could breathe a lot better.

“It’s just very gratifying to take somebody who has given his service to our country and pay back a little bit,” Rousso said.

Rousso has been involved in the AAFPRS for more than 30 years.

“We have a number of programs to help people,” he said. “One helps victims of domestic violence.”

Austin’s surgery was the first Rousso has done as part of Faces of Honor, but he has done numerous other pro bono surgeries through the AAFPRS or other societies. For example, he repaired a scalp defect for a young boy whose father was killed in Iraq.

Faces of Honor is an important program, according to Rousso. “We sometimes don’t think about what they’re doing and how much we enjoy our freedoms,” he said.

The program “has really been a great thing for those who have been wounded and can’t afford to get things fixed or haven’t been able to get the improvements they need through the VA system,” Rousso said.

Sometimes veterans do not live close to a VA facility or have a hard time getting transportation, according to Rousso.

“We have members of our academy who are willing to help who are close to home,” he said.

Sadly, many veterans are unaware that Faces of Honor exists and do not take advantage of it, and more doctors need to be made aware of the program as well, according to Nancy Higginbotham, who is Rousso’s practice manager.

“The more people who know about it, the more it will be used,” Rousso said. “We do some internal marketing through our newsletters to our members, but we are limited in our ability to spread the news.”

For more about Faces of Honor, go to aafprs.org.